K-Drama Flashback: Five Hit OSTs of Park Seo-joon
We take a look back at songs in dramas that feature the actor, including one that he has sung himself
Park Seo-joon plays Lee Young-joon in 'What's Wrong with Secretary Kim.' Photo courtesy of tvN
With his explosive talent, Park Seo-joon is a personal favorite who unarguably ranks among the top Korean heroes of recent times. His fame is justified since he portrays his characters with exhilarating originality. Check out these songs below from the dramas he’s featured in. I hope you’ll like these, just the way I did.
“One More Step” by Kihyun (Monsta X) from She Was Pretty (2015)
“I will take one more step towards you/ I will look only at you like this/ I won’t regret even if I come to lose everything/ I only want to tell you I love you/ That’s all…”
These words that clearly convey longing and honesty are beautifully conveyed thanks to the gorgeous lilt that Monster X’s Kihyun imparts to this medium-tempo modern-rock song. The soundscape is bolstered by Kihyun’s elegant and emotive tonal quality, and serves as the ideal vocal backdrop for Ji Sung-joon’s (Park Seo-joon’s) repressed feelings for his childhood sweetheart, Kim Hye-jin (Hwang Jung-eum).
“Our Tears” by Park Seo-joon from Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth (2016)
“You and I became tears for each other/ On that dazzling day across time/ Holding each other tightly, it was like a dream/ I remember those days.”
“Our Tears,” sung by the man himself, strikes the ears as a sombre love ballad that celebrates the beauty of profound thoughts. It’s a slow-burning tune by Park Seo-joon that encapsulates the tense circumstance between his and Go Ara’s characters in the drama. Park, who is adroit at portraying emotions on screen, also nailed the song through his hypnotic voice, which sounds beautiful but broken and rises in intensity in conjunction with the mood.
“Ambiguous” by BTOB (Seo Eun-kwang, Lim Hyun-sik and Yook Sung-jae) from Fight for My Way (2017)
“It’s ambiguous/ You seem to like me, but sometimes not/ I think I know your mind, but sometimes not.”
“Ambiguous” makes for a perfect musical setting to this story of misfits navigating friendship and love while striving for success. Along with a montage of adorable scenes from the drama, the music video contains inserts from the song’s studio session with Seo Eun-kwang, Lim Hyun-sik and Yook Sung-jae from BTOB. It is an uplifting, engaging love song that showcases the combined vigor of the three exceptional vocalists. Their linked harmonies are accompanied by dramatic strings, expressing the emotions people encounter in love. I simply admire how skilfully Ko Dong-man (Park Seo-joon) and Choi Ae-ra (Kim Ji-won) explore these emotions in the television series.
“It’s You” by Jeong Se-woon from What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)
“It’s you/ Even when I close my eyes, it’s you/ I can only see you/ It’s you, like the stars in the night sky/ You’re the only one who shines in my heart/ It’s you.”
This exquisite piano ballad that displays Jeong Se-woon’s vocal prowess has a seething, mellow melody. Songs like this – soft and sensitive – are best suited to his breathy, honeyed vocals. After years of working together professionally, the narcissistic Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon) and his secretary Kim Mi-so (Park Min-young) get romantically entangled in the song’s music video. When Kim makes it public that she has chosen to leave his company, emotion starts to emerge. Jeong Se-woon breathes life into the song, with the lyrics embodying the feelings entailed. What’s best? Although it has a simple arrangement, the emotional range is immense.
“Start Over” by Gaho from Itaewon Class (2020)
“Even though it doesn’t shine/ I’ll support my dream/ And have the last laugh/ Even if I’m running on one foot/ Like I’m broken/ I’m going to go on my way/ The promise I made with myself/ That I’m not going to stop now…”
In essence, this track is similar to a quest; it induces a sense as though you’re racing toward your goal with all your might. Gaho’s passionate vocals, lyricism, rhythm and the track’s orchestration are replete with vitality, especially during the chorus passages, which reinforce the track’s essence.
The OST precisely captures Park Sae-ro-yi’s (Park Seo-joon’s) desire for a better life and the other characters’ struggle for liberty, while upholding their unique moral convictions in an unfair world. Gaho’s singing is so dynamic and full of emotional outbursts that it expertly harvests those sentiments. This song is right in line with the drama’s message: There’s no shortcut to success, and you must have the fortitude to get back up and try again in pursuit of your objectives. That vibe is evident throughout this song!
